OOSTKAMP,Belgium: Catalonia's deposed leader Carles Puigdemont yesterday launched his campaign for regional elections by calling on Catalans to make known their desire for independence, reports AFP.

"We Catalans demonstrated to the world that we have the capacity and the will to become an independent state. And on (December) 21, we must ratify this," he said in Oostkamp in Belgium, where he travelled after the Catalan parliament declared unilateral independence.

Puigdemont was sacked as Catalan president after that declaration on October 27 as was his entire regional government. Madrid imposed direct rule on the once semi-autonomous region to stop the independence drive.

At the time, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy also dissolved the Catalan parliament and called next month's elections in a bid to "restore normality" to the region.

It comprises people from his conservative, separatist PDeCAT party as well as members of civil society.